


When The Day Met The Night

by wartransmission



Category: Free!
Genre: Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 02:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Words are never quite enough to express how Haru feels for Makoto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When The Day Met The Night

It starts with Makoto's hand in Haru's, when Makoto finally takes his hand instead of the other way around, and he smiles and says that,

 

_"I love Haru too,"_

even though Haru had never said those words in the first place. Makoto had understood, as he always has, that Haru holding out a hand for him meant so much more- because Haru still isn't used to saying it in his words. With his parents almost never there, with only Makoto by his side, he had only learned on his own to express things with his eyes, with his rare touches, and Makoto understood because he has always been there, he has seen all the nuances of Haru's expressions and body language because he has _never left._ The one constant in Haru's life since he was a child until now, the one person who remained by his side even when he was being difficult, and he always wants it to remain that way.

 

But Makoto is loved by people other than him, and Haru can't stop that. No matter how annoying the heavy feeling in his chest is whenever he sees Makoto apologizing with that sheepish smile of his to these girls that confess to him, Haru can't do anything about it. He can't control how other people feel towards Makoto, no matter how much he wishes that he can. It's not wrong to want the person you love to yourself, is it?

 

He's not angry as he is jealous, but it may as well be the same thing when he notices the way his fists clench at the sight of Makoto staying by someone else's side. Yet he can't say anything about what he feels, not because he doesn't know how to- but because he _knows_ that Makoto would find a way to make him feel at ease, even if it meant that he'd have to sacrifice something for it.

 

Haru doesn't want that. Makoto has already sacrificed so much just to stay by his side, and Haru doesn't want to take more of what is being handed to him. Makoto has his limits like any other person, and while those borders are far wider for Haru, it doesn't mean that he wants to test it.

 

He doesn't want to break Makoto just because he's selfish.

 

 

\-----------

 

 

Makoto almost cries when Haru says that he loves him. They were nothing more than three words, three simple words, and Haru had said them while he was holding Makoto close, having thought that Makoto would not have heard him since he was sure to be distracted by his own pleasure, yet Makoto heard and he choked back a sob, his green eyes glassy with tears when Haru looks up at him.

 

His smile had been so much happier than any other smile Haru had seen on him, and Haru felt his heart clench in his chest.

 

They were only three words from his mouth, a confession of his feelings for Makoto on the base level- because words could never truly say what Makoto meant to him, how much Haru needed him-, but they made Makoto happier than anything else. " _I love you_ " and nothing more, yet Makoto almost cried for the first time in years, because he was far happier than any other time that he's been with Haru. Three words from his mouth, so bare a confession, and Haru understood-

 

He has Makoto's happiness in the palm of his hands, and Makoto would always trust him with it.

 

 

\----------------------

 

 

"Lie down."

 

"But Haru," Makoto whines, before turning his head away to cough into his hand. It's a dry cough and the sound is harsh on Haru's ears, an irritating reminder that Makoto is ill, though all Haru can do about it is to care for him.

 

It's a difficult task, considering how persistent Makoto is in keeping his siblings entertained. They don't usually get to have time with him anymore, considering how they're both living in a dorm in Tokyo, and it just so happened that Makoto became ill as soon as they got back to Iwatobi. As much as it felt cruel to keep him from playing and taking care of his siblings, Haru had to do it, since it wouldn't help Makoto's health to be running around with energetic kids like Ran and Ren.

 

It doesn't help that Haru finds it irritating, considering how Makoto can't be by his side with the way he is. As much as he likes being depended on like this, like Makoto used to when they were children, it doesn't mean that Haru likes seeing Makoto flushed red with fever and bedridden just because he's come down with an illness.

 

The most irritating thing, though, is how Makoto insists on getting up because he's worried about his own siblings, who have barely even done anything to merit his worry.

 

Why can't Makoto care for himself, for once?

 

"Makoto," Haru begins, tone firm as he gives Makoto a look.

 

Makoto looks up at him while in the middle of sitting up, and freezes at the sight of Haru's serious countenance. "Nn," he grumbles, turning his head away as Haru would whenever he's the one being particularly annoying, though he lies back down as was ordered.

 

Haru sighs at the annoyed pout on Makoto's face. He pulls his chair closer before taking the cloth from Makoto's head and dipping it once more in cold water, afterwards wringing the towel out and setting it back on Makoto's forehead. He doesn't say anything even as Makoto closes his eyes to rest, and he keeps his hands on his lap to prevent himself from rousing Makoto from his sleep with any of his touches meant solely for comforting him. He'd wait until Makoto is asleep if he has to. Waiting for long doesn't matter much, considering all the waiting around they'd done back in high school.

 

And yet, he speaks up, knowing well enough that it would wake Makoto just as much as any of his touches would. He says in a whisper, his hand reaching out to grip onto the edge of Makoto's bed, "I don't like it when you're sick."

 

Makoto opens his eyes then, blinking bleary green eyes in surprise as he looks up at Haru.

 

Then he smiles.

 

"I'll get better soon," Makoto promises, a hand sliding out from under his blanket to grasp and squeeze at Haru's fingers. "Because Haru is taking care of me."

 

 

\--------------

 

 

It's the first time that Makoto embraces him, his chest warm against Haru's back as he hides his face in the crook of Haru's neck and shoulder. It's ridiculous when Haru thinks about it, considering how these sorts of touches shouldn't be so new to them when they've been together for so long, yet they are because Makoto always ( _always_ ) lets Haru initiate it. Everyone else (read: Rei) would think that Makoto would be the one to initiate things seeing as he was the one more open to his feelings but he isn't, because Makoto doesn't want to push his feelings onto Haru like that. At least, not physically. (He'd whine as much as he wanted to if he wanted something from Haru, which was childish, but Haru didn't completely mind.)

 

There's that, and then there's the fact that he holds an intense enjoyment for making Haru touch him first. It's another childish want of Makoto's, though Haru isn't going to deny it to him.

 

Yet now it's Makoto holding onto him, instead of the other way around.

 

"Is Haru angry?" Makoto mumbles into Haru's shoulder, his lips vibrating against Haru's bare skin.

 

"I'm not," Haru says, though the lie is clear from the way he has his head turned away. Makoto laughs.

 

"Are you jealous, then?" Makoto asks, his arms warm and unusually comfortable around Haru's waist. Haru stiffens at the notion, his brows furrowing as he keeps his head turned away, and Makoto laughs again. Haru grumbles, but he doesn't do anything to refute the direction of Makoto's thoughts. He wouldn't be wrong in his assumption, anyway.

 

"I'm really sorry, Haru," Makoto says, raising his head so he can press a kiss onto his temple. "I'll try not to make you jealous again."

 

"You can't stop them from confessing, can you?" Haru asks, tone tinged with irritation as he turns his head enough to be able to look at Makoto, who's smiling in amusement at him. Was it that funny for him to know that Haru was jealous?

 

"I think it's cute that Haru is jealous, even though he knows that I'll never cheat," Makoto says, laughing once more when he Haru nudges an elbow back into his stomach as a warning. "Sorry, sorry." Makoto raises his head to press a kiss against Haru's hair this time, the gesture so gentle that Haru has to force himself to stifle a smile. As childish as it is, he isn't going to be done with being annoyed just because Makoto is being affectionate. "I know a way to keep people from confessing, though."

 

Haru raises an eyebrow in question at that. "You already tell them that you have someone, and that doesn't stop them. What else can you do?"

 

" _Well_ ," Makoto says, dragging out the vowel as he removes one arm over Haru's waist to reach into his pocket, before wrapping it around Haru again. "There's always this, right?" Makoto smiles, propping his chin on Haru's shoulder as he uses his left hand to take Haru's own, which he then settles on what seems to be a box in his right hand.

 

Haru frowns and looks down when he feels the smooth texture under his hand. He slides his hand away, just to get a glimpse of what's in Makoto's hand, before blinking twice in a succession when he notices that it's small, and eerily similar to those boxes used for proposing. "Here, Haru," Makoto says with a laugh as he uses his left hand to open it.

 

"...Makoto." Haru says, eyeing the ring inside the box with bewilderment.

 

"You said that you wanted them to stop, didn't you?" Makoto says, struggling to hide his own embarrassment as lowers his head until his forehead is resting against Haru's shoulder. "You could always put this on me," he mumbles as he wiggles the little box in his hand.

 

Haru stares at the ring for a moment, before shaking his head with a sigh. "Stupid," Haru mumbles as he removes the ring from the box, before lifting Makoto's left hand from his waist and slipping the ring onto his fourth finger. He doesn't let go of Makoto's hand even when the ring is settled on his finger, his thumb still idly rubbing against the silver band etched with a sun, the whole of him still feeling that the whole moment is surreal. Is it supposed to be this easy? He says, "You're supposed to put the ring on me, not the other way around."

 

"I know," Makoto whines, rubbing his face against Haru's shoulder. "But I thought it would be fine like this too, since Haru gets jealous a lot."

 

"Shut up," Haru grumbles, before blinking in surprise when Makoto makes a move to remove the ring. "What are you doing?"

 

"Giving Haru his ring," Makoto says, having propped his chin back on Haru's shoulder so he can see what he's doing. He breaks the ring in half just as he slides it off his finger, the cut clean enough for Haru to figure that it's supposed to be separated, and he stifles a surprised sound when Makoto puts the starry half with a crescent on it on his left ring finger. Makoto properly sets the sun half back on his own left ring finger, before smiling and pressing a kiss against Haru's cheek. "Do you like it?"

 

Haru stares at their hands for a moment, looking at both of their rings with a sort of calmness that would have been impossible with the speed that his heart is beating, though it's something that he's learned to do through the years so as to keep certain other people (read: Nagisa and Makoto) from teasing him.

 

"Yes," he says eventually, smiling a tiny and nigh unnoticeable smile as he turns his gaze up to Makoto, who happily indulges him with a kiss.

 

It's not the first thing he'd thought to do in keeping Makoto his and keeping himself jealousy-free, but he's not going to complain.

**Author's Note:**

> This is another entry to the MHfest, this time for the prompt "angry"! I hope you guys liked it! If you did, I'd appreciate it a lot if you liked and/or reblogged the entry link I'm going to post later. 
> 
> Thank you very much for your support! <3
> 
> [Here's the link to the entry!](http://makoharufestival.tumblr.com/post/76421818339/challenge-angry-user-jadedgalvanizer-rating-sfw)


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